I think that there are a lot of people everywhere who are poor drivers. There is just no time today to wait for 2 minutes or 1 or even 10 friggin seconds.
Unfortunately like you said, it's the rush that is killing people. If everyone could learn to slow down in the car, enjoy the drive and realize that racing at 40 over the speed limit cuts about 2 minutes off their drive time, but it also cuts down their life expectancy to 2 minutes... Sure, passing is a safe and normal practice...when used properly.. I get sick driving to my cottage when I see people passing camper-vans going up a short hill because being as I am I always tend to picture the worst-case scenario and I almost throw up every time I see it. A minivan with kids in tow pulling out to pass is gutwrenching, especially when - like one red grand caravan I saw once - they don't follow the lines, or use their common sense to judge a corner or hill...
Ever seen a minivan get backflipped by an acura rsx? Minivans going up hills with 100000 pounds of **** in the trunk are pretty ***-heavy. The RSX just plowed the front of the van and this ****** just soared. RSX was mangled, roof ripped off, hood totally crushed... van was laying on its back roof crushed under its own weight..
The only case of bad driving i have seen worse than this was on the way home from my grandparents house on the Trans-Canada highway, probably not unlike the rural american highways you are driving on lilmizz. Black thunderbird doing about 190km/h coming the opposite way on a two lane stretch of the highway just south of oshawa, ontario. He was going way too fast for anyones good in a car as unprepared as his was... Have you ever seen a video clip of those hydroplanes? Fast *** little boats that glide on the water and usually end up in shreds... This car lifted up, shuddered a little due to wind resistance and did a barrell roll towards the shoulder of the highway. I watched all this as I was driving directly towards them. I had my 4 children and my wife in the car. I was scared pretty bad after.. pulled over and called the police then kept on my way (they already noticed it by the time i recovered from the shock and pulled over to call them. (I'm not a very good samaritan, so I didnt really think to turn around and go help...besides, would you take your 4 very small children (8, 6, 4, 1) to the scene of a multiple fatality car crash?)
Read in the paper that the driver was not wearing his seatbelt and was thrown 20 some odd metres from the car and skidded for another 20. the passenger was belted and survived but is paraplegic (legs), the poor girl.
